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Incoming freshman DE Naim Mustafaa leaves Oklahoma State

Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy confirmed Monday at Big 12 Media Days that Naim Mustafaa, a true freshman defensive end regarded as one of the Cowboys’ top signees of the 2013 recruiting class, left the program during the summer.

Mustafaa, a four-star prospect from Alpharetta (Ga.) Alpharetta, enrolled early at OSU so he could participate in spring practice. But Gundy said Mustafaa did not return to campus for summer workouts.

Mustafaa’s departure, which was first reported by the Tulsa World, is reflected on an updated version of OSU’s roster on the school’s official website.

Mustafaa was a bit of a surprising recruiting pickup for OSU, as he was a longtime Georgia commit before flipping his pledge to the Cowboys in early January in time to enroll for the spring semester.

The loss of Mustafaa is a blow to a defensive end unit that is arguably OSU’s biggest question mark heading into 2013. The Cowboys must replace three players that started last season in Nigel Nicholas, Ryan Robinson and Cooper Bassett.